Nutrition Before Surgery

Before beginning your liquid diet, please consult with your nutritionist.

Why a liquid diet?

The purpose of a pre-op liquid diet is to help you lose 5 to 10% of excess body weight prior to surgery, to decrease the size of your liver to help improve surgical outcomes, and to begin the process of making healthy changes for long-term postoperative success.

What does a liquid diet consist of?

• Meal replacement shakes (3-4/day)
  You will be drinking a shake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a fourth if you need it.
  
  Choose one of the following options:

  • Optifast 900: individual sachets

  • SlimTime: powder (mix with water) - order online with purchasing code

  • Boost Simply+: pre-mixed - available at the pharmacy

  • Garden of Life: plant-based, powder (mix with water) - order online

  Note: you may replace 1 shake/day with 3 oz./85 g Lean protein (size of a deck of cards).

• Plenty of fluids (2 L/day)
  Avoid carbonated beverages and alcohol. Coffee and tea are permitted (with less than ¼ cup skim milk & Splenda).

• Non-starchy vegetables (3-4 cups /day) + 1 tbsp. oil

  Choose:
  Cucumber, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce, Celery, Broccoli, Asparagus, Zucchini, Leeks, Carrots, Mushrooms, Peppers, Cauliflower, Radish, Bok Choy, Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Cabbage, etc.
  
  Avoid:
  Potatoes, Yams, Squash, Corn, Peas, Beans, Legumes, Turnips, Parsnips, Pumpkin, Avocado, Olives.

Your Pre-Op liquid diet should look like this:

Meal replacement shakes (3-4/day)

Either one of the following options:

Option: substitute 1 shake/day with 3 oz./85 g protein

Either one of the following options:

Plenty of fluids (2L/day)

Avoid alcohol and carbonated beverages

Coffee/tea is permitted (<¼ cup skim milk & Splenda)

Non-starchy vegetables (3-4 cups/day)

Vegetables can be raw, cooked, as a salad or soup.

Add a touch of salt & pepper, spices & herbs to add flavour.

1 tsp. oil/vinaigrette per meal.